1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image pickup apparatus including a display device for displaying images and information of states of the image pickup apparatus, and a method for controlling the image pickup apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Reduction in camera size has produced a type of camera that displays information (such as a shutter speed and an aperture value) necessary for imaging and a captured image on the same display device. The information, which is hereinafter referred to as “photographing information”, such as the shutter speed and the aperture speed, needs to be set depending on circumstances and needs to be displayed before and after imaging.
Regarding the display device for use in image display, a liquid crystal display device such as a TFT (thin-film transistor) liquid crystal display device, and an organic EL (electroluminescence) device or the like are known. Each device is disposed on a back surface of a camera similarly to a finder because of its size and its configuration in which the device uses predetermined luminance light to allow a user to confirm an image displayed by the device in a display mode. This causes problems in that, when the user looks into the finder, the user cannot see the image displayed on the display device, and in that, when the display device shines with a predetermined luminance or greater, the user feels that the light is too bright. In addition, for power saving, when it is not necessary to display an image, it is preferable to stop display operation of the image displayed on the display device.
Accordingly, there has been proposed a camera in which, by detecting whether a user looks into a finder, that is, whether the user brings the user's eye or face to the finder, the camera can automatically stop display operation of a display device simultaneously with the user's holding of the camera. A control operation of the display device of the above camera is described below with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. 8.
When the display device is controlled to initiate display of an image or camera-state information (step S801), timer counting is initiated by activating a timer (step S802). The timer counting is performed in order to determine timing with which display of a displayed image is stopped or to periodically detect whether the user's face is brought to the finder (hereinafter referred to as “face detection” in this specification).
In step S803, it is determined whether a predetermined time has passed since the start of display. If the predetermined time has not passed yet, in step S804, face detection is performed.
When, in step S804, the face detection has been performed, in step S806, display of the image is immediately stopped. Conversely, when, in step S804, the face detection has not been performed, in step S805, it is determined whether a switch operation has been performed. If the switch operation has not been performed, the operation returns to step S802 and the timer counting is continuously performed. If the switch operation has been performed, in step S806, display of the image is stopped in order to perform processing in response to the switch operation.
If, in step S803, the predetermined time has passed, in step S806, display of the image is immediately stopped.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-201104 discloses control of an image pickup apparatus so that, when an eye-proximity sensor detects proximity of user's eyes to an EVF (electric view finder), an image is displayed by the EVF, and, when the eye-proximity sensor does not detects the proximity, an image is displayed on a back LCD (liquid crystal display).